Taurus .380 revolver

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I read a magazine article recently about a Taurus .380 alloy framed 1.7" barrel revo, weighing in right at one pound. Kinda tempting. Looks like they made these a few years ago with a 2-finger grip but the new (?) version has a 2.5 finger grip. Did they actually make a new gun or just put a new rubber grip on it? I fondled a Taurus .38 Special yesterday in a shop that has what I guess is the same grip/frame. It felt good with my skinny fingers. Dry-firing showed the trigger was acceptable. Not expecting it to be as good as an old K-frame Smith, of course!

In .38 Spl, the Taurus revolver is virtually the same size as my Bersa .380 CC except that the rear of the slide on the Bersa protrudes into the area behind the spurless DAO hammer of the revolver. The .380 revo has a shorter cylinder and frame than the .38 Spl so it would be smaller overall than the Bersa. Of course, with a longer barrel and no cylinder gap, the Bersa would have more velocity as well as twice as many rounds.

Stuffed with WWB flat-nosed 95 grain rounds (I doubt HPs would expand reliably), or something from Buffalo Bore if you're ambitious, this seems like a real contender for coat-pocket carry vs. anything equally small (quite a bit more oomph than .32 or .22, although a 9-round Ruger .22 LCP does invoke the rule that "quantity has a quality all its own"), with some chance of firing multiple rounds without needing to actually draw from the pocket. Comes in a matte black finish, too, for stealth.

The .380 uses moon clips ("stellar clips" in Taurus-speak) but has a shoulder in the cylinder so cases should head-space reliably on the case mouth. Could be good for a reload from a speed-strip if you want to plan that far ahead.

In addition to the reduced overall length, this appeals to me because I've been naughty and have reloaded (and probably will again) .38 Special brass beyond the +P range, with careful (IMHO, and by "humble" I mean arrogant) extrapolation into data for .357 Mag, adjusted for the reduced case volume of .38 Special brass. This discourages me from getting any .38 Special guns, due to concern about losing track of any of those rounds, shattering a .38 cylinder and possibly some of my digits or eyes.
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Re: Taurus .380 revolver

2
The .380 round seems like a micro pistol winner. Not so sure it makes sense in the revolver for the price. Why not 9mm revolver with more powerful and cheaper ammo? Is the size really that different?
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

3
I think a snub in 32 H&R would make more sense. You can dial-up to 9mm and dial down to below 380. plus, one more round. A three inch barrel would be ideal.

For those who haven't shot one, 9mm revolvers have about twice the kick of a mild 38 load. And 357s have about twice the kick of a 9mm. That's my subjective opinion anyway.
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Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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wooglin wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:07 am
senorgrand wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:12 am I think a snub in 32 H&R would make more sense.
Ruger makes the lcr in 327 Federal. Weighs one ounce more that the Taurus, holds one more round, and 327 is way more powerful than 380. And it will shoot 32 H&R.
Good idea, too.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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senorgrand wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:12 am I think a snub in 32 H&R would make more sense.
Yep, and I am lucky enough to have a S&W 331. Six shot snubbie! The only thing wrong with this gun is that in needs a 3 inch barrel.
All religions united with government are more or less inimical to liberty. All, separated from government, are compatible with liberty.-Henry Clay
Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.—Aristotle

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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The appeal of this is the particularly short frame/barrel combo. I haven't looked that closely, but I thought 9 mm revolvers didn't usually take advantage of the short case to shorten the cylinder.

OTOH, the fact that the 9 mm LCR has a hammer shroud is a plus.

OTOOH, .380 would be less harsh and noisy in a snubbie than 9 mm. Not that this would be a plinker that I'd want to shoot a great deal, anyway.
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds

I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.

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Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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Buck13 wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:41 pm The appeal of this is the particularly short frame/barrel combo. I haven't looked that closely, but I thought 9 mm revolvers didn't usually take advantage of the short case to shorten the cylinder.

OTOH, the fact that the 9 mm LCR has a hammer shroud is a plus.

OTOOH, .380 would be less harsh and noisy in a snubbie than 9 mm. Not that this would be a plinker that I'd want to shoot a great deal, anyway.
Of course, I am surprised that no one has mentioned:

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It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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.380 is kind of anemic but better than nothing. One pound is quite a selling point for carry. Usually one maybe two shots on that one rare occasion. Mostly brandishing to safety, for which this gun--any gun--is ideal.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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K9s wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 3:37 pm
Buck13 wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 2:41 pm The appeal of this is the particularly short frame/barrel combo. I haven't looked that closely, but I thought 9 mm revolvers didn't usually take advantage of the short case to shorten the cylinder.

OTOH, the fact that the 9 mm LCR has a hammer shroud is a plus.

OTOOH, .380 would be less harsh and noisy in a snubbie than 9 mm. Not that this would be a plinker that I'd want to shoot a great deal, anyway.
Of course, I am surprised that no one has mentioned:

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'Cause what I really want is this, and I have a finite budget...
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/853775323
IMR4227: Zero to 900 in 0.001 seconds

I'm only killing paper and my self-esteem.

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Re: Taurus .380 revolver

13
I think it was a different frame than the 38, it’s shorter. I briefly owned one and was surprised at how snappy it was, bruised my trigger finger and the moon clips were kind of a PITA to unload. The LCR has a better trigger and eats more recoil and in either 327, 38, or 357 you have so many anmo options. I shoot mostly 32 long wadcutters in my 327, it’s a dream!

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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Buck13 wrote: Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:23 pm 'Cause what I really want is this, and I have a finite budget...
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/853775323
Nice. I've been staying off of Gun Broker lately, but are there deals to be had on non-defense guns? I generally don't look at the "gee, I'd like to own that" since the CA Roster keeps me from indulging. But it seems to me that closed gun stores (whether by decree or for lack of stock), and the focus on the defensive arms panic might lead to reduced competition for some other guns.

Re: Taurus .380 revolver

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[quote=Buck13 post_id=748906 time=1579667009 combo.
[/quote]
'Cause what I really want is this, and I have a finite budget...
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/853775323
[/quote]

One of these was my first handgun, holds great and always fired but I couldn’t hit anything with it, something might have been wrong with it, I’m not sure. Since the Mark 4 came out I’ve seen some of these used in shops for very little money. Supposed to be a challenge to reassemble but I never had mine apart.

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